State Trunk Highway 66 (often called Highway 66, STH-66 or WIS66) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in central Wisconsin from Rosholt to Stevens Point and along what used to be County Trunk Highway P (CTH-P) to Wisconsin Rapids. The entire length of this highway is designated the Polish Heritage Highway.

Route description

WIS66 originally began at the corner of Reserve and Main streets in downtown Stevens Point however once US Highway 10 (US10) finished the expansion of the bypass around Stevens Point deserting the old US 10, plans arose to expand WIS66 to use the former highway. This is how WIS66 got its current-day route, which begins in Wisconsin Rapids traveling east on the Old CTH-P, it then adjoins the former US10 which routes through downtown Stevens Point, passing the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point campus, and later joins with current US 10, US 51, and Interstate 39 (I-39) traveling north. This creates a wrong-way concurrency with WIS 66 and US 10.

WIS66 then departs from I-39/US10/US51 and continues northwest past the Stevens Point Municipal Airport, heading east at Jordan near the Jordan County Park of Portage County. This stretch and the remainder of the highway is the only part of the original WIS66 before the 2009 highway expansion project.

After crossing CTH-J near the unincorporated town of Ellis, WIS66 turns northwest again to Rosholt, where it becomes Grand Avenue. WIS66 ends at the western intersection with WIS 49. Grand Avenue continues on as WIS49 eastward.

History

Initially, WIS66 used to be on the other side of the Wisconsin River. It traveled along present-day WIS54 from WIS13 in Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids) to WIS10/WIS18 (now part of Bus. US51 and CTH-B respectively) in Plover. In 1920, WIS66 extended northeastward to WIS16/WIS39 (now WIS29 and US45 respectively) in Wittenburg. In 1924, WIS54 extended westward, superseding the oldest portion of WIS66 in the process. Also, WIS49 extended northward, superseding the northeasternmost portion of WIS66 (from Rosholt to Wittenburg). In the early 2010s, WIS66 extended southwestward along former CTH-P to WIS13 and WIS34 near Wisconsin Rapids.

Major intersections

See also

References

External links